Air Pollution

Picture: Smog in China


So here's an overview of the different air pollutants we need to know for the test..


Carbon Monoxide= This gas is clear and odorless. It is highly toxic and its sources include car exhaust and burning forests. This gas attaches to the hemoglobin in blood (which carries oxygen to all the bodies cells) and essentially causes death by suffocation.

Carbon Dioxide= This gas contributes to global warming in our atmosphere. Its sources include both the natural carbon cycle and the burning of fossil fuels. It keeps our planet in a habitable climate, but too much of it is harmful.

Sulfur Dioxide= This forms from the combustion of coal and oil in refining plants. In the atmosphere it turns into sulfiric acid and sulfate particles which can damage plant life.

Nitrogen Dioxide= In the air nitrogen oxide reacts with oxygen to form this gas. When nitrogen dioxide combines with water vapor in the atmosphere it forms nitric acid which can cause serious damage to water life. This gas also is a major component of smog.

Ozone= Ozone is harmful when it occurs where we live, in the troposphere. It is a major component of photochemical smog and can cause breathing problems. It is created by emissions from industries and car exhaust (just a few examples).

Particulates= These are suspended particulate matter in the air that consist of different solid and liquid particles. The most harmful of these are the fine particles which can be breathed in and cause serious problems in breathing canals and the body's lungs.